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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · jam · clip · kick · lash · nail · dip · march

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. march — music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. march — the month
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. march — the month
  13. dip — to sink
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mark — a trace
  18. clip — for paper
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. clip — a video
  21. kick — in football
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com